The present invention relates to a reproducing apparatus, a reproducing method, a reproducing program, and a recording medium that allow a user to interactively operate a program recorded on a large capacity recording medium such as a blu-ray disc.
In recent years, as a standard for a recordable disc type recording medium that is detachable from a recording and reproducing apparatus, a blu-ray disc standard has been proposed. The blu-ray disc standard prescribes a disc that has a recording medium having a diameter of 12 cm and a cover layer having a thickness of 0.1 mm. The blu-ray disc standard uses a bluish-purple laser having a wavelength of 405 nm and an objective lens having a numerical aperture of 0.85. The blu-ray disc standard accomplishes a recording capacity of 27 GB (Giga bytes) maximum. As a result, a program of a BS digital high-vision broadcast available in Japan can be recorded for two hours or longer without deterioration of picture quality.
As sources (supply sources) of AV (Audio/Video) signals recorded on the recordable optical disc, an analog signal of for example a conventional analog television broadcast and a digital signal of for example a digital television broadcast such as a BS digital broadcast will be used. The blu-ray disc standard has established a method for recording AV signals of such broadcasts.
As a derivative standard of the current blu-ray disc standard, a reproduction-only recording medium on which a movie, music, or the like is prerecorded is being developed. As a disc-shaped recording medium on which a movie or music is prerecorded, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) has been widely used. The reproduction-only optical disc in accordance with the blu-ray disc standard is largely different from and superior to the conventional DVD in a large recording capacity and a high speed transfer speed that allow a high-vision picture to be recoded for two hours or longer in high quality.
The current blu-ray disc standard prescribes neither a method for displaying a list of video contents of a disc on a screen nor a user interface function for allowing a user to move a cursor on the list and select a video content that he or she wants to reproduce from the list. These functions are accomplished by a recording and reproducing apparatus main unit that records and reproduces video contents to and from the blu-ray disc. Thus, even if a video content is reproduced from the same recording medium, the layout of the contents list screen depends on the recording and reproducing apparatus for use, and so does the user interface. Thus, the user cannot easily use the blu-ray disc. Thus, it is necessary to allow the reproduction-only disc to display a menu screen and so forth that the disc (contents) producer has designed, not depend on the reproducing apparatus.
A multiple story function of which a selection screen is displayed while a video content is being reproduced is generally called an interactive function. To accomplish the interactive function, it is necessary for the disc producer to create a scenario that he or she has designated a reproduction order and branches of the video content, describe the scenario using a program language, a script language, or the like, and record the described scenario on a disc. The reproducing apparatus side reads and executes the scenario. As a result, the reproducing apparatus reproduces a video content and displays selection screens that allow the user to select branches of the video content that the producer has designated.
The current blu-ray disc standard (blu-ray disc rewritable format ver 1.0) prescribes neither a method for composing a menu screen and a branch selection screen that a contents producer has designated, nor a method for describing a process for a user input. Currently, it is difficult to reproduce a video content from a blu-ray disc in accordance with a scenario that the producer has designated with compatibility irrespective of manufactures and models of reproducing apparatuses.
For a reproduction-only disc, the producer side desires a multiple angle function for allowing a user to select one of angles of an object photographed by a plurality of cameras so that the user can watch the object at his or her favorite angle. Thus, it is necessary to provide such a function.
The foregoing interactive function has been already accomplished in for example the DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) standard. In the DVD video, while a moving picture is being reproduced, a menu screen is called using for example a remote control commander. By selecting a button displayed on a menu screen, the user can perform a process for changing the current scene that is being reproduced. In addition, the DVD video also has a multiple angle function.
The user interface and interactive function that have been accomplished by conventional recording mediums such as DVDs have been also desired for large capacity recording mediums such as blu-ray discs as reproduction-only discs.